AP HuG Unit 6 Vocab Flashcards

Use ts to study brodigy!

Urbanization

The process by which an increasing percentage of a population live in cities, often driven by industrialization and migration.

Site

The physical characteristics of a place, including climate, terrain, and natural resources.

Situation

The relative location of a place compared to other places, especially in terms of connectivity and accessibility.

Suburbanization

The movement of people from urban cores to surrounding residential suburbs.

Boomburbs

Rapidly growing suburban cities that become large population centers but are not traditional downtown cities.

Edge Cities

Large concentrations of business, shopping, and entertainment outside traditional downtowns.

Exurbs

Low-density residential areas beyond suburbs, often with longer commutes to the city.

Megacities

Cities with populations over 10 million people.

Metacities

Extremely large urban regions with populations over 20 million.

Periphery Countries

Less developed countries with low industrialization and economic dependency on core countries.

Semiperiphery Countries

Countries that are moderately developed and serve as a buffer between core and periphery nations.

World/Global Cities

Cities that are key centers of economic power and global connectivity (e.g., finance, trade).

Urban Hierarchy

A ranking of cities based on size, population, and economic importance.

Rank-Size Rule

A pattern where a city’s population is inversely proportional to its rank in a country’s urban system.

Primate City

A country’s largest city, disproportionately larger and more influential than others.

Gravity Model

A model predicting interaction between places based on population size and distance.

Central Place Theory

A theory explaining the spatial distribution of cities based on providing goods and services to surrounding areas.

Central Business District (CBD)

The commercial and economic core of a city with high land values and dense development.

Burgess Concentric-Zone Model

A model showing cities growing outward in rings from the CBD.

Hoyt Sector Model

A model showing urban growth in sectors or wedges along transportation routes.

Harris and Ullman Multiple-Nuclei Model

A model where cities develop around multiple centers or nodes.

Galactic City Model

A model of modern cities with decentralized, sprawling development connected by highways.

European City Models

Urban models with mixed land use, strong public transit, and preserved historical centers.

Islamic City Models

Cities structured around mosques, markets (souks), and narrow streets reflecting cultural practices.

Griffin-Ford Latin American Model

A model showing a central spine of development with wealthy areas and peripheral squatter settlements.

Favelas

Informal settlements in Latin America, often lacking infrastructure and basic services.

African City Models

Models reflecting colonial influence, with distinct ethnic neighborhoods and informal settlements.

Informal/Squatter Settlements

Unplanned communities built without legal land ownership or formal infrastructure.

McGee Southeast Asian City Model

A model showing a mix of rural and urban land uses with no clear CBD, and also contains ports most of the time.

Zoning Ordinances

Laws that regulate land use by separating residential, commercial, and industrial areas.

Filtering

The process by which housing changes occupants, often declining in value over time.

Urban Infill

Development of vacant or underused land within existing urban areas.

Infrastructure

Basic physical systems (roads, water, electricity) that support urban life.

Public Transportation

Shared transit systems (buses, trains) used to move people within urban areas.

Smart-Growth Policies

Strategies promoting sustainable urban development and reduced sprawl.

Greenbelts

Protected areas of open land around cities that limit urban expansion.

Slow-Growth Cities

Cities that intentionally limit development to control population growth.

New Urbanism

An urban design movement promoting walkable neighborhoods and mixed land use.

Mixed Land-Use Neighborhoods

Areas where residential, commercial, and recreational uses are combined.

Quantitative Data

Numerical data used to measure and analyze geographic patterns.

Qualitative Data

Non-numerical data describing characteristics or experiences.

Redlining

The discriminatory practice of denying services (like loans) to residents of certain areas based on race or ethnicity.

Blockbusting

A practice where real estate agents encourage racial turnover for profit.

Ghettos

Areas where minority groups are concentrated, often due to social or economic pressures.

Urban Renewal

Redevelopment of urban areas, often displacing low-income residents.

Gentrification

The process where wealthier people move into and renovate lower-income neighborhoods.

Zones of Abandonment

Urban areas that experience significant disinvestment and neglect.

Suburban Sprawl

The spread of low-density development outward from cities.

Brownfields

Abandoned or contaminated industrial sites that can be redeveloped.